French frigate Tourville

Frigate Tourville
Tourville in July 2008
History
France
NameTourville
NamesakeAnne Hilarion de Tourville
Laid down16 March 1970
Launched13 May 1973
Commissioned14 June 1975
Decommissioned11 June 2011
HomeportBrest
IdentificationD 610
FateDecommissioned
General characteristics
Class and typeTourville-class frigate
Displacement4,580 tonnes (6,100 tonnes fully loaded)
Length152.75 m (501 ft 2 in)
Beam15.80 m (51 ft 10 in)
Draught6.60 m (21 ft 8 in)
Installed power
  • 4 multitubular boilers
  • 58,000 hp (43,000 kW)
Propulsion
  • 2 Rateau steam turbines, double reduction
  • Gazoil
  • 2 fixed propellers
Speed32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph)
Range
  • 1,900 nmi (3,500 km; 2,200 mi) at 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)
  • 4,500 nmi (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement
  • 24 officers
  • 160 non-commissioned officers
  • 115 men
Sensors and
processing systems
  • Detection
  • 1 DRBV 51B surface sentry radar
  • 1 DRBV 26A air sentry radar
  • 1 DRBC 32D targeting radar
  • 2 DRBN 34 navigation radars
  • 1 DUBV 23 hull sonar
  • 1 ETBF DSBV 62C sonar
  • 1 DSBX 1 tugged sonar
  • 1 Syva torpedo alert system
  • Tactical information
  • SENIT 3
  • SEAO/OPSMER
  • Transmissions
  • HF, UHF, VHF and SHF liaison systems
  • Syracuse 2
  • Inmarsat
  • Link 11
Electronic warfare
& decoys
  • 1 ARBB 32 jammer
  • 1 ARBR 16 radar interceptor
  • 2 Syllex decoy launchers
  • bubble belt
Armament
  • Anti-ship;
  • 6 × Exocet MM38 anti-ship missiles
  • Anti-submarine;
  • 2 × L5 torpedo launchers, 10 torpedoes on board (L5 mod 4)
  • Guns;
  • 2 × 100 mm turrets (1968 model)
  • 2 × 20 mm cannons
  • 4 × 12.7 mm machine guns
  • CIWS;
  • 1 × Crotale EDIR CIWS anti-air missiles (8 missiles on launcher, 16 in magazine)
Aircraft carried2 × Lynx WG13 anti-ship helicopter

Tourville is the lead ship of F67 type large high-sea frigates of the French Marine Nationale. The vessel is specialised in anti-submarine warfare, though it also has anti-air and anti-surface capabilities. She is named after the 17th century admiral Count Anne-Hilarion de Cotentin de Tourville.

Between 1994 and 1996, Tourville (and sister ship De Grasse) was refitted with the modern SLAMS anti-submarine system, an active Very Low Frequencies sonar.

Career

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Varuna 10

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Tourville was part of the French naval task group led by the Charles de Gaulle that departed Toulon on 30 October 2010 for a four-month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Indian Ocean. and Persian Gulf.[1][2]

Once on station, the Charles de Gaulle carrier task group joined two U.S. Navy carrier strike groups led by the Nimitz-class aircraft carriers USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Harry S. Truman operating in the Persian Gulf.[citation needed] Subsequently, between 7–14 January 2011, the French carrier task group led by Charles de Gaulle participated with bilateral naval exercise, code named Varuna 10, with the Indian Navy. Indian naval units participating in Varuna 10 included the aircraft carrier Viraat, the frigates Godavari and Ganga; and the diesel-electric submarine Shalki. Varuna 10 was a two-phase naval exercise, with the harbour phase taking place between 7–11 January and the sea phase between 11–14 January in the Arabian Sea.[2]

Decommissioning

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The former Tourville, decommissioned and planned for scrapping, moored to a pier of the Penfeld

Tourville was decommissioned on 9 September 2011[3] and is now moored in the Penfeld (Brest Arsenal).

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References

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  1. ^ "Fifth Deployment for French Charles de Gaulle Aircraft Carrier". defpros.news. Defense Professional. November 3, 2010. Archived from the original on November 6, 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-12.
  2. ^ a b Vivek Ragahuvanshi (January 6, 2011). "Indo-French Naval Exercises Set To Start". DefenseNews. Retrieved 2011-01-10.[dead link]
  3. ^ "Frégate Tourville". Netmarine.net. Retrieved 8 October 2015.